Semiconductor device and method

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device and method of manufacture are provided which help to support contacts while material is removed to form air gaps. In embodiments a contact is formed with an enlarged base to help support overlying portions of the contact. In other embodiments a scaffold material may also be placed prior to the formation of the air gaps in order to provide additional support.

PRIORITY CLAIM AND CROSS-REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/832,930, filed on Jun. 6, 2022, and entitled “Semiconductor Deviceand Method,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/917,306, filed on Jun. 30, 2020, and entitled “Semiconductor Deviceand Method,” now U.S. Pat. No. 11,355,637, issued on Jun. 7, 2022, whichapplications are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Semiconductor devices are used in a variety of electronic applications,such as, for example, personal computers, cell phones, digital cameras,and other electronic equipment. Semiconductor devices are typicallyfabricated by sequentially depositing insulating or dielectric layers,conductive layers, and semiconductor layers of material over asemiconductor substrate, and patterning the various material layersusing lithography to form circuit components and elements thereon.

The semiconductor industry continues to improve the integration densityof various electronic components (e.g., transistors, diodes, resistors,capacitors, etc.) by continual reductions in minimum feature size, whichallow more components to be integrated into a given area. However, asthe minimum features sizes are reduced, additional problems arise thatshould be addressed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isnoted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of thevarious features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIG. 1 illustrates steps in a process of forming a finFET device inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates formation of source/drain regions in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross sectional view of FIG. 2 in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates formation of an interlayer dielectric in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a formation of a base layer in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a formation of a sacrificial layer in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a formation of spacers in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates a patterning of the base layer in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates a formation of a first contact in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIGS. 10A-10B illustrate a formation of air gaps in accordance with someembodiments.

FIGS. 11A-11C illustrate a formation of a scaffold in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIGS. 12A-12D illustrate a formation of air gaps with the scaffold inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 13A-13D illustrate formation of an overlying interlayer dielectricin accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the invention. Specificexamples of components and arrangements are described below to simplifythe present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and arenot intended to be limiting. For example, the formation of a firstfeature over or on a second feature in the description that follows mayinclude embodiments in which the first and second features are formed indirect contact, and may also include embodiments in which additionalfeatures may be formed between the first and second features, such thatthe first and second features may not be in direct contact. In addition,the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters inthe various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicityand clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between thevarious embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,”“above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of thedevice in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted inthe figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degreesor at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors usedherein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

With reference now to FIG. 1 , there is illustrated a perspective viewof a semiconductor device too such as a finFET device. In an embodimentthe semiconductor device too comprises a substrate 101 with firsttrenches 103 formed therein. The substrate 101 may be a siliconsubstrate, although other substrates, such as semiconductor-on-insulator(SOI), strained SOI, and silicon germanium on insulator, could be used.The substrate 101 may be a p-type semiconductor, although in otherembodiments, it could be an n-type semiconductor.

The first trenches 103 may be formed as an initial step in the eventualformation of first isolation regions 105. The first trenches 103 may beformed using a masking layer (not separately illustrated in FIG. 1 )along with a suitable etching process. For example, the masking layermay be a hardmask comprising silicon nitride formed through a processsuch as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), although other materials, suchas oxides, oxynitrides, silicon carbide, combinations of these, or thelike, and other processes, such as plasma enhanced chemical vapordeposition (PECVD), low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), oreven silicon oxide formation followed by nitridation, may be utilized.Once formed, the masking layer may be patterned through a suitablephotolithographic process to expose those portions of the substrate 101that will be removed to form the first trenches 103.

As one of skill in the art will recognize, however, the processes andmaterials described above to form the masking layer are not the onlymethod that may be used to protect portions of the substrate 101 whileexposing other portions of the substrate 101 for the formation of thefirst trenches 103. Any suitable process, such as a patterned anddeveloped photoresist, may be utilized to expose portions of thesubstrate 101 to be removed to form the first trenches 103. All suchmethods are fully intended to be included in the scope of the presentembodiments.

Once a masking layer has been formed and patterned, the first trenches103 are formed in the substrate 101. The exposed substrate 101 may beremoved through a suitable process such as reactive ion etching (RIE) inorder to form the first trenches 103 in the substrate 101, although anysuitable process may be used. In an embodiment, the first trenches 103may be formed to have a first depth of less than about 5,000 Å from thesurface of the substrate 101, such as about 2,500 Å.

However, as one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, the processdescribed above to form the first trenches 103 is merely one potentialprocess, and is not meant to be the only embodiment. Rather, anysuitable process through which the first trenches 103 may be formed maybe utilized and any suitable process, including any number of maskingand removal steps may be used.

In addition to forming the first trenches 103, the masking and etchingprocess additionally forms fins 107 from those portions of the substrate101 that remain unremoved. For convenience the fins 107 have beenillustrated in the figures as being separated from the substrate 101 bya dashed line, although a physical indication of the separation may ormay not be present. These fins 107 may be used, as discussed below, toform the channel region of multiple-gate FinFET transistors. While FIG.1 only illustrates two fins 107 formed from the substrate 101, anynumber of fins 107 may be utilized.

The fins 107 may be formed such that they have a width at the surface ofthe substrate 101 of between about 5 nm and about 80 nm, such as about30 nm. Additionally, the fins 107 may be spaced apart from each other bya distance of between about 10 nm and about 100 nm, such as about 50 nm.By spacing the fins 107 in such a fashion, the fins 107 may each form aseparate channel region while still being close enough to share a commongate (discussed further below).

Once the first trenches 103 and the fins 107 have been formed, the firsttrenches 103 may be filled with a dielectric material and the dielectricmaterial may be recessed within the first trenches 103 to form the firstisolation regions 105. The dielectric material may be an oxide material,a high-density plasma (HDP) oxide, or the like. The dielectric materialmay be formed, after an optional cleaning and lining of the firsttrenches 103, using either a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method(e.g., the HARP process), a high density plasma CVD method, or othersuitable method of formation as is known in the art.

The first trenches 103 may be filled by overfilling the first trenches103 and the substrate 101 with the dielectric material and then removingthe excess material outside of the first trenches 103 and the fins 107through a suitable process such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP),an etch, a combination of these, or the like. In an embodiment, theremoval process removes any dielectric material that is located over thefins 107 as well, so that the removal of the dielectric material willexpose the surface of the fins 107 to further processing steps.

Once the first trenches 103 have been filled with the dielectricmaterial, the dielectric material may then be recessed away from thesurface of the fins 107. The recessing may be performed to expose atleast a portion of the sidewalls of the fins 107 adjacent to the topsurface of the fins 107. The dielectric material may be recessed using awet etch by dipping the top surface of the fins 107 into an etchant suchas HF, although other etchants, such as H₂, and other methods, such as areactive ion etch, a dry etch with etchants such as NH₃/NF₃, chemicaloxide removal, or dry chemical clean may be used. The dielectricmaterial may be recessed to a distance from the surface of the fins 107of between about 50 Å and about 500 Å, such as about 400 Å.Additionally, the recessing may also remove any leftover dielectricmaterial located over the fins 107 to ensure that the fins 107 areexposed for further processing.

As one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, however, the stepsdescribed above may be only part of the overall process flow used tofill and recess the dielectric material. For example, lining steps,cleaning steps, annealing steps, gap filling steps, combinations ofthese, and the like may also be utilized to form and fill the firsttrenches 103 with the dielectric material. All of the potential processsteps are fully intended to be included within the scope of the presentembodiment.

After the first isolation regions 105 have been formed, a dummy gatedielectric 109, a dummy gate electrode 111 over the dummy gatedielectric 109, and first spacers 113 may be formed over each of thefins 107. In an embodiment the dummy gate dielectric 109 may be formedby thermal oxidation, chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, or anyother methods known and used in the art for forming a gate dielectric.Depending on the technique of gate dielectric formation, the dummy gatedielectric 109 thickness on the top of the fins 107 may be differentfrom the gate dielectric thickness on the sidewall of the fins 107.

The dummy gate dielectric 109 may comprise a material such as silicondioxide or silicon oxynitride with a thickness ranging from about 3angstroms to about too angstroms, such as about to angstroms. The dummygate dielectric 109 may be formed from a high permittivity (high-k)material (e.g., with a relative permittivity greater than about 5) suchas lanthanum oxide (La₂O₃), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), hafnium oxide(HfO₂), hafnium oxynitride (HfON), or zirconium oxide (ZrO₂), orcombinations thereof, with an equivalent oxide thickness of about 0.5angstroms to about too angstroms, such as about to angstroms or less.Additionally, any combination of silicon dioxide, silicon oxynitride,and/or high-k materials may also be used for the dummy gate dielectric109.

The dummy gate electrode 111 may comprise a conductive material and maybe selected from a group comprising of W, Al, Cu, AlCu, W, Ti, TiAlN,TaC, TaCN, TaSiN, Mn, Zr, TiN, Ta, TaN, Co, Ni, combinations of these,or the like. The dummy gate electrode 111 may be deposited by chemicalvapor deposition (CVD), sputter deposition, or other techniques knownand used in the art for depositing conductive materials. The thicknessof the dummy gate electrode 111 may be in the range of about 5 {acuteover (Å)} to about 200 {acute over (Å)}. The top surface of the dummygate electrode 111 may have a non-planar top surface, and may beplanarized prior to patterning of the dummy gate electrode 111 or gateetch. Ions may or may not be introduced into the dummy gate electrode111 at this point. Ions may be introduced, for example, by ionimplantation techniques.

Once formed, the dummy gate dielectric 109 and the dummy gate electrode111 may be patterned to form a series of stacks 115 over the fins 107.The stacks 115 define multiple channel regions located on each side ofthe fins 107 beneath the dummy gate dielectric 109. The stacks 115 maybe formed by depositing and patterning a gate mask (not separatelyillustrated in FIG. 1 ) on the dummy gate electrode 111 using, forexample, deposition and photolithography techniques known in the art.The gate mask may incorporate commonly used masking and sacrificialmaterials, such as (but not limited to) silicon oxide, siliconoxynitride, SiCON, SiC, SiOC, and/or silicon nitride and may bedeposited to a thickness of between about 5 {acute over (Å)} and about200 {acute over (Å)}. The dummy gate electrode 111 and the dummy gatedielectric 109 may be etched using a dry etching process to form thepatterned stacks 115.

Once the stacks 115 have been patterned, the first spacers 113 may beformed. The first spacers 113 may be formed on opposing sides of thestacks 115. The first spacers 113 are typically formed by blanketdepositing a spacer layer (not separately illustrated in FIG. 1 ) on thepreviously formed structure. The spacer layer may comprise SiN,oxynitride, SiC, SiON, SiOCN, SiOC, oxide, and the like and may beformed by methods utilized to form such a layer, such as chemical vapordeposition (CVD), plasma enhanced CVD, sputter, and other methods knownin the art. The spacer layer may comprise a different material withdifferent etch characteristics or the same material as the dielectricmaterial within the first isolation regions 105. The first spacers 113may then be patterned, such as by one or more etches to remove thespacer layer from the horizontal surfaces of the structure, to form thefirst spacers 113.

In an embodiment the first spacers 113 may be formed to have a thicknessof between about 5 {acute over (Å)} and about 500 {acute over (Å)}, suchas about 50 {acute over (Å)}. Additionally, once the first spacers 113have been formed, a first spacer 113 adjacent to one stack 115 may beseparated from a first spacer 113 adjacent to another stack 115 by adistance of between about 5 nm and about 200 nm, such as about 20 nm.However, any suitable thicknesses and distances may be utilized.

Additionally, and optionally, if desired, the first isolation regions105 and the underlying substrate 101 may be further patterned to provideadditional isolation between devices. In one particular embodiment (notillustrated in FIG. 1 for clarity but which can be seen in FIG. 12Dbelow), the first isolation regions 105 and the underlying substrate 101may be etched to form crowns, wherein each crown of the substrate 101has multiples fins 107, such as two fins 107. In an embodiment thesubstrate 101 may be patterned using a photolithographic masking andetching process, although any suitable patterning process may beutilized.

FIG. 2 illustrates a removal of the fins 107 from those areas notprotected by the stacks 115 and the first spacers 113 and a regrowth ofsource/drain regions 201. The removal of the fins 107 from those areasnot protected by the stacks 115 and the first spacers 113 may beperformed by a reactive ion etch (RIE) using the stacks 115 and thefirst spacers 113 as hardmasks. However, any suitable process may beutilized.

Once these portions of the fins 107 have been removed, a hard mask (notseparately illustrated), is placed and patterned to cover the dummy gateelectrode 111 to prevent growth and the source/drain regions 201 may beregrown in contact with each of the fins 107. In an embodiment thesource/drain regions 201 may be regrown and, in some embodiments thesource/drain regions 201 may be regrown to form a stressor that willimpart a stress to the channel regions of the fins 107 locatedunderneath the stacks 115. In an embodiment wherein the fins 107comprise silicon and the FinFET is a p-type device, the source/drainregions 201 may be regrown through a selective epitaxial process with amaterial, such as silicon or else a material such as silicon germaniumthat has a different lattice constant than the channel regions. In otherembodiments the source/drain regions 201 may comprise materials such asGaAs, GaP, GaN, InP, InAs, InSb, GaAsP, AlGaN, AlInAs, AlGaAs, GaInAs,GaInP, GaInAsP, combinations of these, or the like. The epitaxial growthprocess may use precursors such as silane, dichlorosilane, germane, andthe like, and may continue for between about 5 minutes and about 120minutes, such as about 30 minutes.

In an embodiment the source/drain regions 201 may be formed to have athickness of between about 5 {acute over (Å)} and about 1000 {acute over(Å)}, and may have a height over the first isolation regions 105 ofbetween about 10 {acute over (Å)} and about 500 {acute over (Å)}, suchas about 200 {acute over (Å)}. In this embodiment, the source/drainregions 201 may be formed to have a height above the upper surface ofthe first isolation regions 105 of between about 5 nm and about 250 nm,such as about 100 nm. However, any suitable height may be utilized.

Once the source/drain regions 201 are formed, dopants may be implantedinto the source/drain regions 201 by implanting appropriate dopants tocomplement the dopants in the fins 107. For example, p-type dopants suchas boron, gallium, indium, or the like may be implanted to form a PMOSdevice. Alternatively, n-type dopants such as phosphorous, arsenic,antimony, or the like may be implanted to form an NMOS device. Thesedopants may be implanted using the stacks 115 and the first spacers 113as masks. It should be noted that one of ordinary skill in the art willrealize that many other processes, steps, or the like may be used toimplant the dopants. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art willrealize that a plurality of implants may be performed using variouscombinations of spacers and liners to form source/drain regions having aspecific shape or characteristic suitable for a particular purpose. Anyof these processes may be used to implant the dopants, and the abovedescription is not meant to limit the present invention to the stepspresented above.

Additionally at this point the hard mask that covered the dummy gateelectrode 111 during the formation of the source/drain regions 201 isremoved. In an embodiment the hard mask may be removed using, e.g., awet or dry etching process that is selective to the material of the hardmask. However, any suitable removal process may be utilized.

FIG. 2 also illustrates a formation of an inter-layer dielectric (ILD)layer 203 (illustrated in dashed lines in FIG. 2 in order to moreclearly illustrate the underlying structures) over the stacks 115 andthe source/drain regions 201. The ILD layer 203 may comprise a materialsuch as boron phosphorous silicate glass (BPSG), although any suitabledielectrics may be used. The ILD layer 203 may be formed using a processsuch as PECVD, although other processes, such as LPCVD, mayalternatively be used. The ILD layer 203 may be formed to a thickness ofbetween about 100 Å and about 3,000 Å. Once formed, the ILD layer 203may be planarized with the first spacers 113 using, e.g., aplanarization process such as chemical mechanical polishing process,although any suitable process may be utilized.

Optionally, if desired, a first etch stop layer 202 (not illustrated inFIG. 2 for clarity but illustrated below with respect to FIG. 3 ) may beformed over the structure prior to the deposition of the ILD layer 203(e.g., over the source/drain regions 201. In one embodiment, the firstetch stop layer 202 may be formed of silicon nitride using plasmaenhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), although other materialssuch as SiON, SiCON, SiC, SiOC, SiC_(x)N_(y), SiO_(x), otherdielectrics, combinations thereof, or the like, and alternativetechniques of forming the first etch stop layer 202, such as lowpressure CVD (LPCVD), PVD, or the like, could alternatively be used. Thefirst etch stop layer 202 may have a thickness of between about 5 {acuteover (Å)} and about 200 Å or between about 5 {acute over (Å)} and about50 {acute over (Å)}.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross sectional view of the structure of FIG. 2along line 3-3′ while also showing additional structures not illustratedin FIG. 2 , and also illustrates that, after the formation of the firstetch stop layer 202 and the ILD layer 203, the material of the dummygate electrode 111 and the dummy gate dielectric 109 may be removed andreplaced to form a gate stack 205. In an embodiment the dummy gateelectrode 111 may be removed using, e.g., a wet or dry etching processthat utilizes etchants that are selective to the material of the dummygate electrode 111. However, any suitable removal process may beutilized.

Once the dummy gate electrode 111 has been removed, the openings leftbehind may be refilled to form a gate stack 205. In a particularembodiment the gate stack 205 comprises a first dielectric material, afirst metal material, a second metal material, and a third metalmaterial. In an embodiment the first dielectric material is a high-kmaterial such as HfO₂, HfSiO, HfSiON, HfTaO, HfTiO, HfZrO, LaO, ZrO,Ta₂O₅, combinations of these, or the like, deposited through a processsuch as atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, or the like.The first dielectric material may be deposited to a thickness of betweenabout 5 {acute over (Å)} and about 200 {acute over (Å)}, although anysuitable material and thickness may be utilized.

The first metal material may be formed adjacent to the first dielectricmaterial and may be formed from a metallic material such as Ti, TiAlN,TaC, TaCN, TaSiN, Mn, Zr, TiN, TaN, Ru, Mo, WN, other metal oxides,metal nitrides, metal silicates, transition metal-oxides, transitionmetal-nitrides, transition metal-silicates, oxynitrides of metals, metalaluminates, zirconium silicate, zirconium aluminate, combinations ofthese, or the like. The first metal material may be deposited using adeposition process such as atomic layer deposition, chemical vapordeposition, sputtering, or the like, to a thickness of between about 5{acute over (Å)} and about 200 {acute over (Å)}, although any suitabledeposition process or thickness may be used.

The second metal material may be formed adjacent to the first metalmaterial and, in a particular embodiment, may be similar to the firstmetal material. For example, the second metal material may be formedfrom a metallic material such as Ti, TiAlN, TaC, TaCN, TaSiN, Mn, Zr,TiN, TaN, Ru, Mo, WN, other metal oxides, metal nitrides, metalsilicates, transition metal-oxides, transition metal-nitrides,transition metal-silicates, oxynitrides of metals, metal aluminates,zirconium silicate, zirconium aluminate, combinations of these, or thelike. Additionally, the second metal material may be deposited using adeposition process such as atomic layer deposition, chemical vapordeposition, sputtering, or the like, to a thickness of between about 5{acute over (Å)} and about 200 {acute over (Å)}, although any suitabledeposition process or thickness may be used.

The third metal material fills a remainder of the opening left behind bythe removal of the dummy gate electrode 111. In an embodiment the thirdmetal material is a metallic material such as W, Al, Cu, AlCu, W, Ti,TiAlN, TaC, TaCN, TaSiN, Mn, Zr, TiN, Ta, TaN, Co, Ni, combinations ofthese, or the like, and may be deposited using a deposition process suchas atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, orthe like to fill and/or overfill the opening left behind by the removalof the dummy gate electrode 111. In a particular embodiment the thirdmetal material may be deposited to a thickness of between about 5 {acuteover (Å)} and about 500 {acute over (Å)}, although any suitablematerial, deposition process, and thickness may be utilized.

Once the opening left behind by the removal of the dummy gate electrode111 has been filled, the materials may be planarized in order to removeany material that is outside of the opening left behind by the removalof the dummy gate electrode 111. In a particular embodiment the removalmay be performed using a planarization process such as chemicalmechanical polishing. However, any suitable planarization and removalprocess may be utilized.

Optionally, after the materials of the gate stack 205 have been formedand planarized, the materials of the gate stack 205 may be recessed andcapped with a capping layer (not separately illustrated). In anembodiment the materials of the gate stack 205 may be recessed using,e.g., a wet or dry etching process that utilizes etchants selective tothe materials of the gate stack 205. In an embodiment the materials ofthe gate stack 205 may be recessed a distance of between about 5 nm andabout 150 nm, such as about 120 nm. However, any suitable process anddistance may be utilized.

Once the materials of the gate stack 205 have been recessed, the cappinglayer may be deposited and planarized with the first spacers 113. In anembodiment the capping layer is a material such as SiN, SiON, SiCON,SiC, SiOC, combinations of these, or the like, deposited using adeposition process such as atomic layer deposition, chemical vapordeposition, sputtering, or the like. The capping layer may be depositedto a thickness of between about 5 {acute over (Å)} and about 200 {acuteover (Å)}, and then planarized using a planarization process such aschemical mechanical polishing such that the capping layer is planar withthe first spacers 113.

Additionally at this stage, or at any other suitable stage ofmanufacture, a cut metal gate process may be utilized to form a cutmetal gate region 1105, which process is not seen in FIG. 3 but whichcan be seen further below with respect to FIG. 11B. In such a process aportion of the materials of the gate stacks 205 may be removed in orderto separate one portion of the gate stacks 205 from another portion ofthe gate stacks 205, effectively forming two separate gates. In anembodiment the removal process may be performed using aphotolithographic masking process followed by one or more etchingprocesses.

Once the removal processes have removed the desired portions of the gatestacks 205 and formed separate gate structures, the opening left behindby the removal may be filled. In an embodiment the opening may be filledand/or overfilled with a dielectric material such as silicon oxide,silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, a high-k dielectric material,combinations of these or the like. Once deposited, the material may beplanarized using, for example, a chemical mechanical polishing process.

FIG. 4 illustrates a formation of a second etch stop layer 401 over thegate stacks 205. In one embodiment, the second etch stop layer 401 maybe formed of silicon nitride using plasma enhanced chemical vapordeposition (PECVD), although other materials such as SiON, SiCON, SiC,SiOC, SiC_(x)N_(y), SiO_(x), other dielectrics, combinations thereof, orthe like, and alternative techniques of forming the second etch stoplayer 401, such as low pressure CVD (LPCVD), PVD, or the like, could beused. The second etch stop layer 401 may have a thickness of betweenabout 5 {acute over (Å)} and about 200 Å or between about 5 {acute over(Å)} and about 50 {acute over (Å)}.

FIG. 4 additionally illustrates a formation of a second ILD layer 403.The second ILD layer 403 may comprise an oxide material such as SiON,SiCON, SiC, SiOC, SiC_(x)N_(y), SiO_(x), although any other suitablematerials, such as boron phosphorous silicate glass (BPSG), although anysuitable dielectrics may be used. The second ILD layer 403 may be formedusing a process such as PECVD, although other processes, such as LPCVD,may alternatively be used. The second ILD layer 403 may be formed to athickness of between about 70 Å and about 3,000 Å, such as 700 Å. Onceformed, the second ILD layer 403 may be planarized using, e.g., aplanarization process such as a chemical mechanical polishing process,although any suitable process may be utilized.

FIG. 4 additionally illustrates a formation of a first opening 405through the second ILD layer 403, the second etch stop layer 401,through the ILD layer 203, and through the first etch stop layer 202 inorder to expose the source/drain regions 201 in preparation forformation of a first contact 901 (not illustrated in FIG. 4 butillustrated and described below with respect to FIG. 9 ). In anembodiment the first opening 405 may be formed by initially placing andpatterning a photoresist over the source/drain regions 201. In anembodiment the photoresist is a tri-layer photoresist, with a bottomanti-reflective coating (BARC) layer, an intermediate mask layer, and atop photoresist layer. However, any suitable type of photosensitivematerial or combination of materials may be utilized.

Once the photoresist has been placed, the photoresist is patterned. Inan embodiment the photoresist may be patterned by exposing aphotosensitive material within the photoresist (e.g., the topphotoresist layer in the tri-layer photoresist) to a patterned energysource (e.g., light) through, e.g., a reticle. The impact of the energywill cause a chemical reaction in those parts of the photosensitivematerial that were impacted by the patterned energy source, therebymodifying the physical properties of the exposed portions of thephotoresist such that the physical properties of the exposed portions ofthe photoresist are different from the physical properties of theunexposed portions of the photoresist. The photoresist may then bedeveloped with, e.g., a developer (not separately illustrated), in orderto separate the exposed portion of the photoresist from the unexposedportion of the photoresist.

In an embodiment the photoresist is patterned to form an opening thatexposes the second ILD layer 403. Once the photoresist has beenpatterned, the first opening 405 may be formed using the photoresist asa mask. In an embodiment the first opening 405 may be formed using oneor more reactive ion etching processes to form the first opening 405through the second ILD layer 403, the second etch stop layer 401, andthe ILD layer 203. Additionally, the first opening 405 will also beformed to extend through a bottom portion of the second etch stop layer202 and expose the source/drain regions 201 while still leaving aportion of the second etch stop layer 202 along sidewalls of the firstopening 405. However, any suitable processes may be utilized to form thefirst opening 405.

Once the first opening 405 has been formed, the photoresist may beremoved. In an embodiment the photoresist may be removed using, e.g., anashing process, whereby a temperature of the photoresist is increaseduntil the photoresist undergoes a thermal decomposition, at which pointthe photoresist may be easily removed. However, any suitable removalprocess, such as a wet etch, may also be utilized.

FIG. 5 illustrates a formation of a base layer 501 within the firstopening 405 and adjacent to the source/drain regions 201. In anembodiment the base layer 501 may be a material such as an oxidematerial such as silicon oxide, silicon germanium oxide, or germaniumoxide. However, any suitable material may be used.

In an embodiment the base layer 501 may be formed such that the baselayer 501 is located along a bottom of the first opening 405 and leavesroom within the first opening 405 for the formation of the first contact901. In an embodiment the base layer 501 may be formed as a native oxidematerial, whereby the exposed material of the underlying source/drainregions 201 is oxidized either intentionally or through an exposure toan oxygen containing ambient atmosphere to form the oxide material. Inan embodiment in which the exposed material is intentionally oxidized,the oxidation can occur through a process such as an ion bombardmentwith oxygen followed by an ashing process in an ambient air environment.As such, the base layer 501 is formed adjacent to the source/drainregions 201 along a bottom of the first opening 405.

However, while multiple oxidation processes for forming the base layer501 within the first opening 405 have been described, these are intendedto be illustrative and are not intended to be limiting. Rather, anysuitable method of forming the base layer 501 may be utilized. All suchmethods are fully intended to be included within the scope of theembodiments.

In an embodiment the base layer 501 may be formed to a thicknesssufficient to provide structural support for subsequently manufacturedstructures (described further below). As such, in some embodiments thebase layer 501 may be formed to a first thickness T₁ of between about 5Å and about 50 Å, such as about 20 Å to 40 Å. However, any suitablethicknesses may be utilized.

FIG. 6 illustrates a formation of sacrificial spacers 601 within thefirst openings 405 and over the base layer 501. In an embodiment thesacrificial spacers 601 are formed from a material such as silicon,SiGe, SiC, SiP, SiCP, combinations of these, or the like, although anysuitable materials may be utilized. The sacrificial spacers 601 may beformed by initially forming a sacrificial spacer layer (not separatelyillustrated) using a deposition method such as chemical vapor deposition(CVD), plasma enhanced CVD, sputter, and other methods known in the art.The sacrificial spacers 601 may then be patterned, such as by one ormore anisotropic etches (e.g., one or more reactive ion etches) toremove the sacrificial spacer layer from the horizontal surfaces of thestructure, to form the sacrificial spacers 601.

In an embodiment the sacrificial spacers 601 may be formed to have asecond thickness T₂ that is sufficient to provide an air-gap 1001 (notillustrated in FIG. 6 but illustrated and discussed further below withrespect to FIG. 10A) for electrical isolation. As such, the secondthickness T₂ may be between about 10 Å and about 60 Å, such as about 20Å to 30 Å. However, any suitable thickness may be utilized.

FIG. 7 illustrates a deposition of a second spacer 701 adjacent to thesacrificial spacers 601 within the first openings 405. In an embodiment,the second spacers 701 are formed by blanket depositing a second spacerlayer (not separately illustrated in FIG. 7 ) on the previously formedstructure. The second spacer layer may comprise SiN, oxynitride, SiC,SiON, SiOCN, SiOC, oxide, and the like and may be formed by methodsutilized to form such a layer, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD),plasma enhanced CVD, sputter, and other methods known in the art. Thesecond spacers 701 may then be patterned, such as by one or moreanisotropic etches (e.g., one or more reactive ion etches) to remove thesecond spacer layer from the horizontal surfaces of the structure, toform the second spacers 701.

In an embodiment the second spacer 701 may be formed to have a thirdthickness T₃ that is sufficient to work with the air-gap toot to helpelectrically isolate the subsequently formed first contact 901. As such,the third thickness T₃ may be between about 10 Å and about 60 Å, such asabout 20 Å to 30 Å. However, any suitable thickness may be utilized.

After the second spacers 701 have been formed, the first openings 405have been reduced in width from the original sizes of the first openings405. Additionally, in embodiments in which reactive ion etches wereutilized to form the sacrificial spacers 601 and the second spacers 701,an upper width of the first openings 405 may be larger than a lowerwidth of the first openings 405. For example, in some embodiments thefirst openings 405 may have a first width W₁ along an upper surface ofthe second ILD layer 403 of between about 10 nm and about 60 nm, such asabout 17 nm, and may also have a second width W₂ adjacent to the baselayer 501 that is less than the first width W₁. In an embodiment thesecond width W₂ may be less than the first width W₁ by between about 0and about 5, such as about 2 nm. For example, the second width W₂ may bebetween about 10 nm and about 60 nm, such as about 15 nm. However, anysuitable widths may be utilized.

FIG. 8 illustrates a patterning of the base layer 501 through the secondspacers 701. In an embodiment the base layer 501 may be patterned usingan etching process such as an anisotropic dry etch process with etchantsselective to the material of the base layer 501 without significantremoval of the material of the second spacers 701. In an embodiment inwhich the material of the base layer 501 is a native oxide and thematerial of the second spacers 701 is silicon nitride, an etching systemsuch as a charge coupled plasma anisotropic etching system may beutilized.

By patterning the base layer 501 with an anisotropic etching system, avery smooth spacer profile is achieved. Further, the opening through thebase layer 501 will be aligned with the sides of the second spacers 701,such that the first opening 405 through the base layer 501 will have athird width W₃ that is equal to the second width W₂. However, anysuitable widths may be utilized.

FIG. 8 additionally illustrates an optional formation of silicidecontacts 801 within the source/drain regions 201. The silicide contacts801 may comprise titanium, nickel, cobalt, or erbium in order to reducethe Schottky barrier height of the contact. However, other metals, suchas platinum, palladium, and the like, may also be used. The silicidationmay be performed by blanket deposition of an appropriate metal layer,followed by an annealing step which causes the metal to react with theunderlying exposed silicon. Un-reacted metal is then removed, such aswith a selective etch process, thereby leaving the silicide contacts 801to have sidewalls which are aligned with sidewalls of the base layer501. The thickness of the silicide contacts 801 may be between about 5{acute over (Å)} and about 2000 {acute over (Å)}.

FIG. 9 illustrates that, once the silicide contacts 801 have beenformed, a first contact 901 is formed. In an embodiment the firstcontact 901 may be a conductive material such as Co, Al, Cu, W, Ti, Ta,Ru, TiN, TiAl, TiAlN, TaN, TaC, NiSi, CoSi, alloys of these,combinations of these, or the like, and may be deposited using abottom-up deposition process such as electroplating, electrolessplating, combinations of these, or the like in order to fill and/oroverfill the first opening 405. However, any suitable depositionprocess, such as sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, or the like, mayalso be utilized.

Once the material of the first contact 901 has been formed to filland/or overfill the first opening 405, any deposited material outside ofthe first opening 405 may be removed using a planarization process suchas chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). However, any suitable materialand process of formation may be utilized. As such, the first contact 901is planarized to be coplanar with the material of the second ILD layer403, the second spacers 701 and the sacrificial spacer 601.

Additionally, in some embodiments the planarization process may befurther used in order to reduce the height of the second ILD layer 403and remove any chapping profiles or other defects. In some embodimentsthe height of the second ILD layer 403 may be reduced by a distance ofabout 52 nm, such that the second ILD layer 403 may have an end heightof between about 10 nm and about 25 nm, such as about 18 nm. However,any suitable height may be utilized.

FIG. 10A illustrates a removal of the sacrificial spacers 601 to form anair-gap toot between the second spacers 701 and the first spacers 113.In an embodiment the sacrificial spacers 601 may be removed using anetching process such as an isotropic etching process that utilizes anetchant selective to the material of the sacrificial spacers 601 withoutsignificantly removing material of the second spacers 701 and using thebase layer 501 as an etch stop layer. As such, while the precise etchantutilized is dependent at least in part on the materials of thesacrificial spacers 601 and the second spacers 701, in an embodiment inwhich the sacrificial spacers 601 are silicon and the second spacers 701are silicon nitride, an isotropic etchant such as NF₃, H₂, and/or NH₃mixed with an inert gas such as helium may be utilized to remove thesacrificial spacers 601 with a system such as a radical surfacetreatment system, an isotropic chemical etcher, or the like. However,any suitable etchant or etching process may be utilized.

By depositing the material of the sacrificial spacers 601, patterningthe material of the sacrificial spacers 601, and then removing thematerial of the sacrificial spacers 601, the air-gap toot will be formedwith differing widths. In an embodiment the air-gap toot may have afourth width W₄ along a top surface of the air-gap 1001 adjacent to thesecond ILD layer 403 of between about 10 Å and about 60 Å, such as about20 Å to 30 Å. Similarly, the air gap 1001 may have a fifth width W₅adjacent to the base layer 501 of between about 10 Å and about 60 Å,such as about 20 Å to 30 Å. However, any suitable widths may beutilized.

By forming the first contact 901 in the funnel shape wherein the firstcontact 901 may have a varying width as the first contact 901 extendsaway from the substrate tot, the first contact 901 may have a largerbase and a larger contact interface upon which the first contact 901will sit upon. As such, when the physical support from the sacrificialspacers 601 is removed to form the air-gap 1001, the first contact 901will have the additional support of the wider base to help compensatethe reduced support from the removal of the sacrificial spacers 601.With such additional support, the first contact 901 is less likely tosuffer issues related to weaker structures, such as tilting.

Additionally, the use of the base layer 501 extending between the firstcontact 901 and the first etch stop layer 202 will also work to reducetilting of the first contact 901. For example, the base layer 501 willprovide additional support to the lower portion of the first contact901, thereby stabilizing the first contact 901 and reducing thepossibility of the first contact 901 tilting due to lack of support.

FIG. 10B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the structure of 10Athrough line B-B′, wherein the first contact 901 makes physicalconnection to a single source/drain region 201. As can be seen, the baselayer 501 extends from the first contact 901 to make physical contactwith the first etch stop layer 202 and, in some embodiments, the ILDlayer 203. The base layer 501 along with the wider bottom of the firstcontact 901 help to provide additional structural support for the firstcontact 901 after the air-gaps 1001 have been formed.

FIGS. 11A-11C illustrate yet another embodiment which may be utilizedeither by itself or in addition to each of the already describedembodiments in order to help prevent tilting of the first contact 901after removal of the sacrificial spacers 601, with FIG. 11A illustratinga continuation of the process previously described with respect to FIGS.1-9 , FIG. 11B illustrating a top down view of the structure illustratedin FIG. 11A (wherein FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 11Bthrough line A-A′), and wherein FIG. 11C illustrates anothercross-sectional view along line C-C′ as illustrated in FIG. 11B. In thisembodiment, in addition to, or instead of, supporting the first contact901 using the base layer 501 or the increased width of the first contact901, a scaffold 1101 is formed and used to help support the structure ofthe first contact 901 during and after formation of the air-gap 1001(not seen in FIGS. 11A-11C but seen and illustrated below with respectto FIGS. 12A-12C).

In an embodiment the scaffold 1101 may be formed over the first contact901 but before removal of the sacrificial spacer 601 and may be adielectric material such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, siliconoxynitride, a low-k dielectric material, combinations of these, or thelike. Additionally, the scaffold 1101 may be formed using a depositionprocess such as chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition,atomic layer deposition, combinations of these, or the like, to athickness of between about 5 nm and about 200 nm, such as about 10 nm.However, any suitable process and thickness may be utilized.

Once the material of the scaffold 1101 has been blanket deposited, thematerial of the scaffold 1101 is patterned in order to form secondopenings 1103 which expose a portion of the top surface of thesacrificial spacers 601 and the first contact 901 (as can be seen inFIG. 11A) but to not expose all of the top surface of the first contact901 (as can be seen in FIG. 11C). As such, the scaffold 1101 is in placeand in physical contact with a portion of the first contact 901 duringremoval of the sacrificial spacers 601 and is able to provide additionalsupport. In an embodiment the material of the scaffold 1101 may bepatterned using, for example, a photolithographic masking and etchingprocess. However, any suitable process may be utilized.

FIG. 11B illustrates that the second opening 1103 may be shaped as anoval. However, illustrating the second opening 1103 as an oval isintended to be illustrative and is not intended to be limiting, as anysuitable shape may be utilized for the second opening 1103. For example,the second opening 1103 may be square shaped, shaped as a rectangle, orany other suitable shape. All such shapes are fully intended to beincluded within the scope of the embodiments.

Additionally, the second openings 1103 may be sized in order to allowfor a suitable removal of the sacrificial spacer 601 out of the secondopenings 1103 (described further below with respect to FIGS. 12A-12C).In a particular embodiment, the second openings 1103 may be formed tohave a sixth width W₆ of between about 10 nm and about 100 nm, such asabout 30 nm, and a first length L₁ of between about 10 nm and about 50nm, such as about 20 nm. However, any suitable widths and lengths may beutilized.

Additionally, in some embodiments multiples one of the second openings1103 may be formed on a single first contact 901 in order to ensure thatthere are enough second openings 1103 to remove the sacrificial spacers601. For example, in an embodiment in which the first contact 901 has asecond length L₂ of between about 50 nm and about 1000 nm, such as about100 nm, two second openings 1103 may be formed over the first contact901 while shorter first contacts 901 may only utilize a single secondopening 1103.

FIGS. 12A-12C illustrate that, once the second openings 1103 have beenformed and patterned within the scaffold 1101, the sacrificial spacers601 may be removed in order to form the air-gaps toot, with FIG. 12Billustrating a top down view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 12A(wherein FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 12B through lineA-A′), and wherein FIG. 12C illustrates another cross-sectional viewalong line C-C′ as illustrated in FIG. 12B. In an embodiment theformation of the air-gaps 1001 may be performed as described above withrespect to FIG. 10A. For example, process may be utilized to makecontact through the second openings 1103 and remove the material of thesacrificial spacers 601. However, any suitable method of removing thematerial of the sacrificial spacers 601 and forming the air-gaps tom maybe utilized.

However, by forming and patterning the scaffold not prior to the removalof the sacrificial spacers 601, the scaffold 1101 is present during theremoval of the sacrificial spacers 601 and can provide additionalsupport to the first contact 901. With the additional support providedby the scaffold not, there is less chance of the first contact 901tilting or otherwise moving during the subsequent processing. As such,with less chance of the first contact 901 moving, there is a smallerchance of defects occurring, thereby increasing the efficiency of theoverall manufacturing process.

For example, in an embodiment which uses the scaffold 1101, the firstcontact 901 may have a first angle α along a first side of the firstcontact 901 and may also have a second angle β along an opposite side ofthe first contact 901. With the use of the scaffold 1101, or any of theother embodiments described herein, the first angle α may be equal tothe second angle β, and each may be within about −2 to about +2 degreesof each other and, in some embodiments, may have a difference of 0°.Additionally, the first contact 901 may remain at the position in whichit was formed (e.g., at a right angle of 90° to a surface of thesubstrate 101). In other words, the air-gap 1001 may have similar orequal widths on each side of the first contact 901 (e.g., the fourthwidth W₄).

As can be seen in FIG. 12A, after the removal of the material of thesacrificial spacers 601, the air-gaps tom that are located under thesecond openings 1103 are exposed through the second openings 1103.However, as illustrated in FIG. 12C, those portions of the sacrificialspacers 601 that were covered by the scaffold 1101 leave behind air-gaps1001 which are not exposed but which remain covered by the scaffold1101. Additionally, in embodiments in which there are multiple secondopenings 1103 over a single first contact 901, the air-gaps 1001 mayextend beneath the scaffold 1101 from a first one of the second openings1103 to a second one of the second openings 1103.

FIG. 12D illustrates a cross-sectional view along line D-D′ of FIG. 12B,which illustrates a length-wise view of the first contact 901. Asillustrated, the scaffold 1101 is deposited and patterned in order toprovide additional structural support for the first contact 901 whilestill allowing openings for the removal of the material of thesacrificial spacers 601. As such, the air-gaps 1001 may be formed whilehelping to prevent undesired movement of the first contact 901 whichcould lead to defects during the manufacturing process.

FIGS. 13A-13D illustrate further processing which includes formation ofa third etch stop layer 1303 and a third ILD 1301 over the first contact901, over the second ILD layer 403, and over the scaffold 1101, withFIG. 13B illustrating a top down view of the structure illustrated inFIG. 13A (wherein FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 13B throughline A-A′), wherein FIG. 13C illustrates another cross-sectional viewalong line C-C′ as illustrated in FIG. 13B, and wherein FIG. 13Dillustrates yet another cross-sectional view along line D-D′ asillustrated in FIG. 13B. In an embodiment the third etch stop layer 1303may be formed of silicon nitride using plasma enhanced chemical vapordeposition (PECVD), although other materials such as SiON, SiCON, SiC,SiOC, SiC_(x)N_(y), SiO_(x), other dielectrics, combinations thereof, orthe like, and alternative techniques of forming the third etch stoplayer 1303, such as low pressure CVD (LPCVD), PVD, or the like, couldalternatively be used. The third etch stop layer 1303 may have athickness of between about 5 {acute over (Å)} and about 200 Å or betweenabout 5 {acute over (Å)} and about 50 {acute over (Å)}.

The third ILD 1301 may comprise an oxide material such as SiON, SiCON,SiC, SiOC, SiC_(x)N_(y), SiO_(x), although any other suitable materials,such as boron phosphorous silicate glass (BPSG), although any suitabledielectrics may be used. The third ILD 1301 may be formed using aprocess such as PECVD, although other processes, such as LPCVD, mayalternatively be used. The third ILD 1301 may be formed to a thicknessof between about 100 Å and about 3,000 Å.

As can be seen in FIG. 13A, during the deposition of the third etch stoplayer 1303 and the third ILD 1301, the shape of the scaffold 1101 alongwith the second openings 1103 is not planar. As such, the depositedmaterial of the third etch stop layer 1303 and the third ILD 1301 willalso not be planar because of the underlying shape. As such, portions ofthe third etch stop layer 1303 will dip as the third ILD 1301 moves overthe second openings 1103.

However, as can be seen in FIG. 13C, over those portions of the scaffold1101 in which there is no second opening 1103, the third etch stop layer1303 and the third ILD 1301 are deposited over a planar surface of thescaffold 1101. As such, those portions of the third etch stop layer 1303and the third ILD 1301 that are deposited over the planar surface of thescaffold 1101 will also be planar even as the third ILD 1301 extendsover the air-gaps 1001.

Additionally, in some embodiments, and as can be seen in FIG. 13D, thethird ILD 1301 may also have both planar and non-planar portions as itextends over the first contact 901. In this embodiment, the third ILD1301 may have a planar surface over those portions of the first contact901 which are also covered by the scaffold 1101. However, over thoseportions of the first contact 901 which are not covered by the scaffold1101 (e.g., where the second openings 1103 are formed), the third ILD1301 will have a non-planar surface wherein the third ILD 1301 dips intothe second openings 1103.

If desired, further processing may be performed while leaving the thirdILD 1301 in a planar and non-planar state. However, in otherembodiments, the third ILD 1301 may also be planarized prior toadditional processing. As such, a planarization process such as chemicalmechanical polishing may be utilized in order to planarize the third ILD1301. Any suitable planarization process may be utilized.

FIG. 12A can also be used to describe another embodiment in which thebase layer 501 (even though in FIG. 12A the base layer 501 isillustrated) and the scaffold 1101 are omitted, but in which the firstcontact 901 still has an enlarged stability. In this embodiment thefirst contact 901 is formed without the base layer 501, and the firstcontact 901 is formed with an exaggerated difference between a top widthW_(T) of the first contact 901 and a bottom width W_(B) of the firstcontact 901. In some embodiments the top width W_(T) may be at least 5nm larger than the bottom width W_(B), such as the top width W_(T) beingbetween about 10 nm and about 60 nm, such as about 15 nm, while thebottom width W_(B) is between about 10 nm and about 60 nm, such as about13 nm. However, any suitable widths may be utilized.

By increasing the size of the top width W_(T) relative to the bottomwidth W_(B), the overall structure will have an increased stabilityrelative to structures which have a smaller top width W_(T) relative tothe bottom width W_(B). In particular, by forming a larger top section,the increase in mass from the wider portion will serve to help stabilizethe first contact 901 from further processing. As such, the firstcontact 901 is better able to withstand the stresses and leads to fewerdefects and shorts from the first contact 901 moving.

By utilizing one or more of the scaffold not, the base layer 501, or thedifferences in widths of the first contact 901, additional support maybe provided to the first contact 901 during and after the removal of thesacrificial spacers 601 and the formation of the air-gaps 1001. Byproviding additional structural support, the first contact 901 is lesslikely to shift and move (e.g., tilt) during the processing. By reducingthe likelihood that the first contact 901 will move, fewer defects willoccur, the effective capacitance can be maintained, there will be fewershorts, and a more efficient process may be obtained.

Additionally, while the embodiments described herein have been describedwith respect to a particular embodiment of forming the first contact 901in physical and electrical connection with the source/drain regions 201,this is intended to be illustrative and is not intended to be limitingto the embodiments. Rather, the ideas presented herein may be utilizedin a wide variety of structures. For example, the embodiments may alsobe implemented in the formation of a contact (e.g., the first contact901) to the gate stack 205. This and any other suitable embodiments maybe utilized, and all such embodiments are fully intended to be includedwithin the scope of the current embodiments.

In accordance with an embodiment, a semiconductor device includes: afirst gate stack adjacent to a second gate stack over a semiconductorfin over a substrate; a first contact located between the first gatestack and the second gate stack, the first contact being in electricalconnection with a source/drain region, the first contact having a firstwidth located a first distance from the substrate and a second widthlocated a second distance from the substrate greater than the firstdistance, the second width being between about 10 nm and about 60 nm andthe first width being smaller than the second width by an amount greaterthan zero and less than about 5 nm; and an air gap located between thefirst contact and the first gate stack. In an embodiment, thesemiconductor device further includes a base layer extending away fromthe first contact and extending below the air gap. In an embodiment, thebase layer comprises an oxide material. In an embodiment, thesemiconductor device further includes a scaffold material in physicalcontact with the first contact, the air gap extending from a pointuncovered by the scaffold material to a point covered by the scaffoldmaterial. In an embodiment, the semiconductor device further includes aspacer between the air gap and the first gate stack, a portion of thefirst contact extending between the spacer and the source/drain regionin a direction perpendicular with a major surface of the substrate. Inan embodiment, the first width is smaller than the second width by anamount greater than about 2 nm. In an embodiment the second width isbetween about 10 nm and about 60 nm.

In accordance with another embodiment, a semiconductor device includes:a first contact in electrical connection with a source/drain region of afin field effect transistor; a spacer adjacent to the first contact; anair gap located on an opposite side of the spacer from the firstcontact; a scaffold in physical contact with a first portion of a topsurface of the first contact, a second portion of the top surface of thefirst contact being exposed by the scaffold, wherein the air gap extendsunder the scaffold; and an etch stop layer capping the air gap, thescaffold being located between the etch stop layer and the secondportion of the top surface of the first contact. In an embodiment thesemiconductor device further includes a base layer adjacent to a firstportion of the first contact, the first contact also having a secondportion over the first portion, and a third portion over the secondportion, the first portion and the third portion each being wider thanthe second portion. In an embodiment the base layer extends between thefirst contact to an etch stop layer, the etch stop layer being locatedover the source/drain region. In an embodiment the base layer extendsbeneath the air gap. In an embodiment the source/drain region comprisesa silicide material, the silicide material having sidewalls aligned withsidewalls of the base layer. In an embodiment the etch stop layerextends at least partially into the scaffold.

In accordance with yet another embodiment, a method of manufacturing asemiconductor device, the method including: forming a first opening in adielectric layer to expose a conductive region, the dielectric layerbeing over a semiconductor fin; forming a base layer within the firstopening; forming a sacrificial spacer along sidewalls of the firstopening after the forming the base layer; forming a spacer adjacent tothe sacrificial spacer; etching the base layer to re-expose theconductive region; depositing a first contact adjacent to the spacer andthe base layer; and removing the sacrificial spacer to form an air-gap.In an embodiment the method further includes: forming a scaffold overthe first contact prior to the removing the sacrificial spacer; andpatterning the scaffold to form at least one second opening through thescaffold, the at least one second opening exposing a first portion ofthe sacrificial spacer, a second portion of the sacrificial spacerremaining covered by the scaffold after the patterning the scaffold,wherein the removing the sacrificial spacer removes a first part of thesacrificial spacer through the at least one second opening. In anembodiment the patterning the scaffold forms at least two secondopenings, wherein the removing the sacrificial spacer removes the firstpart of the sacrificial spacer through a first one of the at least twosecond openings and wherein the removing the sacrificial spacer removesa second part of the sacrificial spacer through a second one of the atleast two second openings. In an embodiment the first contact has abottom width and a top width larger than the bottom width. In anembodiment the bottom width is smaller than the top width by an amountgreater than zero and less than about 5 nm. In an embodiment the methodfurther includes depositing an interlayer dielectric layer to cap theair-gap. In an embodiment the forming the base layer forms the baselayer in physical contact with a contact etch stop layer adjacent to asecond spacer

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that thoseskilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the presentdisclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they mayreadily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifyingother processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/orachieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein.Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalentconstructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions, andalterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor device comprising: a contact overa semiconductor substrate; a scaffold in physical contact with thecontact; and a round opening through the scaffold and exposing twospacers located between the contact and a gate stack, one of the twospacers being an air spacer, the air spacer extending beneath thescaffold.
 2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the roundopening exposes a first portion of the contact.
 3. The semiconductordevice of claim 2, further comprising a second round opening exposing asecond portion of the contact, the second round opening different fromthe first round opening.
 4. The semiconductor device of claim 3, whereinthe contact has a length of between about 50 nm and about 100 nm.
 5. Thesemiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the round opening has a widthof between about 10 nm and about 30 nm.
 6. The semiconductor device ofclaim 5, wherein the round opening has a length of between about 10 nmand about 20 nm.
 7. The semiconductor device of claim 1, furthercomprising a base layer between the air spacer and the semiconductorsubstrate.
 8. A semiconductor device comprising: a first spacer adjacentto a first contact, the first contact in electrical connection with asource/drain region; an oxide base layer adjacent to the source/drainregion, the oxide base layer extending from a first point between thesource/drain region and the first spacer to a second point between thesource/drain region and an air spacer; and a scaffold covering a firstportion of the air spacer and exposing a second portion of the airspacer.
 9. The semiconductor device of claim 8, wherein the exposing isthrough a round opening.
 10. The semiconductor device of claim 8,wherein the exposing is through a square opening.
 11. The semiconductordevice of claim 8, wherein the air spacer has a first width of betweenabout 10 Å and about 60 Å.
 12. The semiconductor device of claim 11,wherein the air spacer has a second width of between about 20 Å to 30 Å.13. The semiconductor device of claim 8, wherein the scaffold has athickness of between about 5 nm and about 200 nm.
 14. The semiconductordevice of claim 13, wherein the scaffold has a thickness of betweenabout 5 nm and about 10 nm.
 15. A semiconductor device comprising: ascaffold over a semiconductor substrate; a first contact extendingbetween the scaffold and a source/drain region within the semiconductorsubstrate; a first spacer adjacent to the first contact, the firstspacer extending from the scaffold to a base layer, the base layer inphysical contact with the source/drain region; and an air gap adjacentto the first spacer, the air gap extending from the scaffold to the baselayer, wherein a first gap extends through the scaffold to expose aportion of the air gap.
 16. The semiconductor device of claim 15,wherein the base layer comprises silicon oxide.
 17. The semiconductordevice of claim 15, wherein the base layer comprises silicon germaniumoxide.
 18. The semiconductor device of claim 15, wherein the base layercomprises germanium oxide.
 19. The semiconductor device of claim 15,wherein the first gap is rectangular in shape in a top down view. 20.The semiconductor device of claim 15, further comprising a second gapextending through the scaffold, wherein the first gap and the second gapexpose respective portions of the first contact.